Improvement in life-preserving apparatus



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JAMES BOND, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

Letters Patent No. 88,692, dated April 6, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN LIFE-PRESERVIN G- APPARATUS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it 'may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES BOND, of the city and county of Norfolk, and State of Virginia, have invented a new and improved Life-Preserver; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionofthe'construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side View, and

Figure 2 a cross-section, through line :l: x of tig. l.

The object of this invent-ion is to provide br public use a convenient, simple, and cheap apparatus, which, in cases of accident on the water, can be readily attached to the person, and by which any one can easily and comfortably support himselt` in the water, and at the saine time propel himself rapidly along in any desired direction.

rlhis object is accomplished by providing a suitable tloat, adapted to be readily secured to the person7 andV having a screw-propeller, a wheel for operating the same, and a rudder and tiller for steering the whole apparatus in any direction, the power-wheel being operated by hand or foot, and the rudder in the same manner, as will nowbe more palticularly described.

In the drawings- A is the iioat, made of any suitable Y material, solid or hollow, as may be preferred, and of any convenient forni that will adapt it to fit the body and to support and accommodate the mechanism employed with it.

'It may also be provided with flexible supplementary iniiated or4 cork iioats B'B, arranged along each of its upper side edges, so as to iit thepersons breast or side,

'without chating. l

Apparatus for intlating suchtloats maybe provided, and the whole may be readily and easily bound to the person by means of cords C C, connected with the yielding flexible part B.

Extending longitudinally through the part A is a shaft, D, bearing at its rear end a propelling-wheel, E, and adapted to be put in rapid motion by means of bevel-gear wheels F f and cranks G Gr, at the forward end ofthe apparatus. l

H is a rudder, to the upper end of the post of which is axed a cross-bar, I, by means of which the operator can, with his foot, steer himself in any direction.

.I isa iioat of cork, or made in any other suitable manner, attached tothe part A, in front of the two side fioats B B, as shown in the drawings.

Upon the upper side of this oat may be fixed a cleat, E, to Which the ends of the cords C G may be secured, when the apparatus is attached to the person.

A convenient method of attaching it to the person will be -to provide two cords C O, fastened to one oat B, and ou the outer edge of the opposite ioat two eyes, or loops t' i', through which the loose ends of cords C C can be reve, as seen in iig. l. 4

As a matter of construction, it will be found, perhaps, 'most convenient to make the part A of some light wood or other material,nearly in the form shown in the drawings; chambering out its upper side near the front end, to accommodate the bevel-wheels and cross-shaft; cutting a longitudinal groove in its upper surface, to receive the propeller-shaft; coveringthe chambered part with cork J, and the rest of the part A with a light wooden strip, a, and attaching the iioats B B to the strip a.; all which will be clearly understood from the drawings.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, 4and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y 1. A float, adapted to be attached to the person, in combination with a screw-propeller, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination and arrangement ofthe float A, bevel-gear wheels F j', cranks Gr G, shaft D, propeller E, and rudder I H, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. 1n connection with said parts A D E H F f, the arrangement of the iioats J B B, and cords C C, as and for the purposes shown and described.

. JAMES BOND.

-Witnessesz J. BARRY KING, JOHN E. DoYLE. 

